bear saves hiker from lion

Robert Biggs, 69, of Paradise, Calif., told the Paradise Post he was hiking Monday when he was attacked by a mountain lion.

"They usually grab hold of your head with all four paws," Biggs said. "But my backpack was up above my head and (the mountain lion) grabbed it instead."

Shortly before the encounter, Biggs said he had seen mother bear with a pair of cubs—which he thinks is what the mountain lion was after.

"It must have been stalking the little bear," Biggs said, "but it was on me in seconds."

But just as quickly, the mother bear came to his aid. he said. "The bear and the cat battled for about 15 seconds," Biggs recalled, before both ran away.

Now that is the coolest story I've heard in a very long time!!

Link?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/29/bear-saves-man-from-mountain-lion_n_1388219.html

Bears: heartless, godless killing machines, or man's best friend?!? I'm so confused.

Cool story in any case, if true. Paradise has some interesting folks, and this fellow is one of them.

Cheers,

from huffingtonpost
So he says, "I'm 100-percent sure it did want to save my life," he said. "We made eye contact. I'd seen the bears before and I know she knew who I was."

“I know she knew who I was.” is an example of anthropomorphism and is a false, dangerous presumption.

It was a little harder to find the longer version of the story I saw yesterday but... I found it.
It has in addition, "“Biggs, a naturist, has hiked that same trail several times and has seen the mother bear and its cub last spring and fall. He said the encounters with the bears were friendly.
"(The cub) stood up on its hind legs and put its paws up and I got to play patty-cake with it," he said.”

“patty-cake”?

This guy, Robert “Treadwell II” Biggs, is pegging my BS meter.
I'm supposing he tried to “patty-cake” with mama's cub's again and she batted him around a little and the story is a concoction to cover for his imprudent action.
Just supposing...

"“Biggs, a naturist, has hiked that same trail several times..."

As I recall, a "naturist" is what nudists have taken to calling themselves.

If there's one thing I can't stand it's bear nekked patty-cakers.

I agree. The guy is a bit egotistical. The moma bear was protecting her cub, he was just "collateral un-damage". Were the cub not there, he would be lion lunch.

Here's another link with a bit more info and a video interview with him,

Fish&Game said the pack wasn't torn up, but there is blood on it. They're going to test it.

Those blood test should tell us something. If it's all his blood, I'd have to wonder if he just got too close to that bear or the cub and got smacked around in the process. The cuts on his arm don't quite fit in with the rest of the story, but the old fart sure is sticking to his story and he doesn't seem a bit concerned about what others think of it.

Personally, I think it's all quite plausible. Strange things do happen. In the link BZH posted there were some videos of interaction between bears and cougars in the wild. They are really quite interesting and surprising.

There have been no mountain lion attacks in that area before because everytime one was reported people were not believed.

Personally, I choose to believe the entire thing. The sun will still come up tomorrow if I'm wrong. Then I'm headed to the mountains.

Since we're on the large predator/wildlife subject...


Confirmed mountain lion attacks in the United States and Canada 1890 - Present

Mountain Lions in Arizona

Mountain Lion Takes Down Mature 160 Class Mule Deer

wildlife photos from the Olympic Peninsula (disregard the BF thing)

I'm now waiting for the headline, "Lion saves hiker from bear."